Probably a silly question, but I feel like I might fit in. I'm 5'6" and about 165 pounds, 54 y/o. Officially overweight according to my BMI. Do I belong here? After blowing out my back several years ago, I've gone from a size 4 (132 pounds) to a size 14. Ugh! A lifetime of being *very* slender, I'm not dealing with this new body of mine well at all. (Well, the new bra size is kindof fun. . . .)

I started figure skating in my late 30's, then social dancing and swimming. Considered myself an athlete. Had to have back surgery (lumbar fusion) 19 months ago and the fusion isn't fusing, so I'm having to limit my activities - a lot. Bought a bike less than 2 weeks ago and love it! Something about the cool wind in my face. . . . Got a Specialized Crossroads Sport, seems like a good starter bike.

Am riding 30-60 minutes, about 5 days a week so far, hope to increase as time goes on. Haven't lost an ounce yet but hope that I'm putting on muscle, and besides, it's fun and makes me feel good. Am an endorphin junkie and have missed it so much!

Anyway, am looking for a group of folks that I can identify with, exchange info and ideas with. If this isn't the place, maybe you can direct me to one that's a better fit? Many thanks in advance,

Barb

Welcome Barb! One of us! one of Us!

You'll fit right in! Your gonna love cycling also seeing that you were already an active person to begin with i;m sure you'll be off to the races.

I lived in Bedford (Near the park by Central) when i first moved to Texas then moved into Dallas.

again welcome!

Welcome Barb.

Welcome Fellow Athena~
I'm also 5'6" and much heavier than you, according to weight watchers you are like... 10 pounds over your BMI
That's not too bad in my book ;)
An Athena is a female cyclist that is 150 pounds and up so you're in the right place.

:)
Have a great day and welcome to the forums!

Welcome Barb/zigzag3, hope you can find something to identify with in the Clydesdale/Athena forum. Even though it is a great place to be, most people are trying to get out of it! Give it a couple of weeks and dont be shy - ed

Welcome Barb/zigzag3, hope you can find something to identify with in the Clydesdale/Athena forum. Even though it is a great place to be, most people are trying to get out of it! Give it a couple of weeks and dont be shy - ed


Welcome to Barb! And enjoy the Clydes and Athenas as long as you want, a lot of folks here have earned emeritus status after all the benefits of bicycling kicked in!

You HAVE found the right place to fit in!! :beer:

Welcome....now let's all go for a ride and pump up the endorphins!! :D

Welcome

Wow, what a wonderful, warm welcome! Thank you all so much. :)

Here's a question, probably the first of many:

My Clydesdale hubby, 6'1", 235#, has been biking with me whenever he can. (Please understand, I just bought my bike 2 weeks ago tomorrow!). We just wear our sneakers, your basic wide, stabilizing cross-trainers. His extra-wide size 12s have a tendency to slip off the pedals and/or hit the crank(?) so I was thinking that maybe it would be good for him to get some biking shoes. No clips or clamps - not ready for that yet! - but something smaller/narrower that supports his foot and can still be walked around in.

Does that sound like a good idea? If so, what should we look for in a shoe? We have a pretty decent LBS but I still feel better walking in the door with a little bit of knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

Barb

Thank you, fuish! I was hoping that we girls didn't have the same 200# limit as the guys.

You're right, at 5/6" and 165# I'm technically not *that* heavy. But it's still a health issue for me:

- I'm quite "small-boned" and can't carry the weight like somebody with a more normal or even large frame
- I have a lot of arthritis and toting around extra pounds puts additional strain on my poor deteriorating joints
- Both of my parents have heart disease - my Dad had his first heart attack when he was younger than me.

So, getting myself back in shape is important on several levels, along with encouraging my Clydesdale hubby who has recently crossed the line into Type 2 diabetes.

The warm response I've received here has been heartwarming - y'all are a great bunch! Many thanks,

Barb

Perhaps some miniclips? (No strap, just a small, abbreviated toe clip.)

http://www.amazon.com/Inline-Strapless-Bicycle-Clips-Black/dp/B000C12E5G

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31JB5TYSTXL._AA280_.jpg

Welcome aboard, zigzag!
Wow, what a wonderful, warm welcome! Thank you all so much. :)

Here's a question, probably the first of many:

My Clydesdale hubby, 6'1", 235#, has been biking with me whenever he can. (Please understand, I just bought my bike 2 weeks ago tomorrow!). We just wear our sneakers, your basic wide, stabilizing cross-trainers. His extra-wide size 12s have a tendency to slip off the pedals and/or hit the crank(?) so I was thinking that maybe it would be good for him to get some biking shoes. No clips or clamps - not ready for that yet! - but something smaller/narrower that supports his foot and can still be walked around in.

Does that sound like a good idea? If so, what should we look for in a shoe? We have a pretty decent LBS but I still feel better walking in the door with a little bit of knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

Barb

Probably a silly question, but I feel like I might fit in. I'm 5'6" and about 165 pounds, 54 y/o. Officially overweight according to my BMI. Do I belong here?
Barb

Barb, my wife is about the same weight and an inch taller. I don't consider too much overweight, maybe a few pounds. I think bone structure has a lot to do with it.

Tim

My Clydesdale hubby, 6'1", 235#, has been biking with me whenever he can. (Please understand, I just bought my bike 2 weeks ago tomorrow!). We just wear our sneakers, your basic wide, stabilizing cross-trainers. His extra-wide size 12s have a tendency to slip off the pedals and/or hit the crank(?) so I was thinking that maybe it would be good for him to get some biking shoes. No clips or clamps - not ready for that yet! - but something smaller/narrower that supports his foot and can still be walked around in.

Barb
Barb, maybe what you ought to try is a different pedal. Shoe width is probably not going to change much (hey, I'm a waffle foot, I should know), but there are a wide variety of pedals with different widths, some with more aggressive surfaces to help keep your foot from slipping (i.e. mountain bike pedals). I've got some with sharply serrated edges that give me a lot of traction on the pedal, compared to some that the surface of the pedal is almost smooth.

And pedals are (relatively) cheap!

The more you ride the more you will want with a firmer sole to ease the pressure on the bottom of the foot, especially if he is diabetic. Bike shoes offer that.

I would ask for a mountain bike shoe to start with. They have flat bottoms and you can remove the plug and add SPD cleats should you ever want to. Even with the cleats, the profile is flat, so you can walk around. They will not be more narrow in internal width, but all that excess sole material that is on the sides of cross trainers will be absent.

Hope that helps.

. . .

Does that sound like a good idea? If so, what should we look for in a shoe? We have a pretty decent LBS but I still feel better walking in the door with a little bit of knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

Barb

A cycling specific shoe is called for. Good idea. Look around at the on-line stores and your local shops for last years models and/or close out items. If he has an extra wide foot then the choices will be a lot more limited. I also find that close out deals are usually the super small sizes rather then the larger.

As for a recommendation on a shoe, I like the Adidas "Minnret" but there are a lot of others that works just as well. I have found Adidas to be very comfortable, fit a wider foot and last.

The thing about Adidas though, they can be very hard to find because a lot of shops do not carry them so you would need to do the on-line gig. If that is the case then look for Shimano, Answer or AXO shoes, they fit larger feet nicely.

Here is an idea on the type of shoe

http://www.cambriabike.com/Images/product/adidas_minnret_alum_863253.jpg

Oh yeah, welcome to the BF

DBD:beer:

[QUOTE=Tom Stormcrowe;5649032]Perhaps some miniclips? (No strap, just a small, abbreviated toe clip.)

http://www.amazon.com/Inline-Strapless-Bicycle-Clips-Black/dp/B000C12E5G


Hi Tom,

Thanks for the feedback! Not sure exactly what miniclips are, but anything holding my hubby's foot is probably a bad idea, at least for now. He's new to biking and a bit on the clumsy side ("Bull in a China shop" is how he puts it).

However, depending on what they are, I might consider them. So, do they clamp onto the pedal, and then you stick your toe into them? Nothing actually fastened, but then do you get some of the benefits of the ones that do hold your shoe to the pedal? Can you use them with regular shoes, or only with biking shoes?

So much to learn. . . .

TIA, Barb

They're for regular shoes, and just provide a little bit of stability to the foot without straps or cleats. They bolt to the pedal and you just slip your toes into them.

Here's one place to get them
http://www.amazon.com/Inline-Strapless-Bicycle-Clips-Black/dp/B000C12E5G

http://www.parktool.com/images_inc/repair_help/feet_69.jpg
[QUOTE=Tom Stormcrowe;5649032]Perhaps some miniclips? (No strap, just a small, abbreviated toe clip.)

http://www.amazon.com/Inline-Strapless-Bicycle-Clips-Black/dp/B000C12E5G


Hi Tom,

Thanks for the feedback! Not sure exactly what miniclips are, but anything holding my hubby's foot is probably a bad idea, at least for now. He's new to biking and a bit on the clumsy side ("Bull in a China shop" is how he puts it).

However, depending on what they are, I might consider them. So, do they clamp onto the pedal, and then you stick your toe into them? Nothing actually fastened, but then do you get some of the benefits of the ones that do hold your shoe to the pedal? Can you use them with regular shoes, or only with biking shoes?

So much to learn. . . .

TIA, Barb

The more you ride the more you will want with a firmer sole to ease the pressure on the bottom of the foot, especially if he is diabetic. Bike shoes offer that.

I would ask for a mountain bike shoe to start with. They have flat bottoms and you can remove the plug and add SPD cleats should you ever want to. Even with the cleats, the profile is flat, so you can walk around. They will not be more narrow in internal width, but all that excess sole material that is on the sides of cross trainers will be absent.

Hope that helps.

That sounds like a good solution - thank you! Even with pedals with more "grip" he would still be hanging over the sides a lot in his regular shoes because the soles flare out at the bottom. And I like the idea of easing the pressure on his foot - I've read about a problem called (IIRC) "hot foot" and of course would like to avoid that too.

You might also look at some bmx pedals at your LBS if he isn't thrilled about being attached to the bike. They are very wide and have several rows of pins that will dig into the soles of his shoes.

Welcome Barb, from a fellow athena

You might also look at some bmx pedals at your LBS if he isn't thrilled about being attached to the bike. They are very wide and have several rows of pins that will dig into the soles of his shoes.

I'd second looking in to a BMX/MTB wide platform pedal.
I will add that in my experience MTB shoes and those style platforms do not make a great combination my everyday tennis shoes work much better. At the local BMX track Chuck Taylor type shoes seem to be preferred for use with the platforms.

A cheap set of this style pedal should set you back no more than $25 and may make a world of difference.